Court and Land Records

General Information and Requests

The County Clerk is the Clerk of Supreme and County Courts and is responsible for maintaining the court files for civil and criminal matters. The County Clerk is also the official registrar of deeds, mortgages, assignments of mortgages, satisfactions of mortgages, judgments and liens. The Clerk has the duty of indexing and preserving these documents.

A search of public court and land records can be conducted at the Clerk’s Office either in person or via telephone or fax request. Another option is to search records by using the On-line Office of the Monroe County Clerk.

Copies of records are 65¢ per page. A $1.30 minimum charge is required. The fee for a certified copy is $5 for a document up to four pages in length, plus a charge of $1.25 per page for each additional page when applicable. Also, an extra fee of $5 for every 2 years searched is charged whenever a search of the records is involved. Payment may be made at the time of pickup, at the Clerk’s office. The County Clerk’s Office accepts cash, checks, Visa and Master Card.

Mail-in Requests can be made in writing and mailed to the Monroe County Clerk’s Office (39 W. Main Street, Room 105, Rochester, New York, 14614) along with a check for the appropriate amount of money made payable to the Monroe County Clerk. For further information, please call 585 753-1600.

Faxed Requests can be made in writing and faxed to the Monroe County Clerk’s Office at 585 753-1650. Please include a telephone number that you can be reached at. A Clerk’s Office representative will contact you to advise you of the charge for your request. Payment may be made over the phone via credit card, by mailing a check or in person.

Telephone Requests can be made by calling 585 753-1600 during normal business hours.

When ordering documents, please provide the following information:

index number

type of record sought

filing date

name of the parties (or a business name)

E-Filing of Court Documents in Monroe County - effective January 18, 2017

Pursuant to Administrative Order AO/24/17, civil court documents may be voluntarily e-filed in Monroe County, effective January 18, 2017. To E-File, you must use this link to the NYS Unified Court System page and create a username and password. The following are exempt from E-Filing: CPLR Art 70 and 78 proceedings, Election Law proceedings, matrimonial matters, Mental Hygiene Law matters, residential foreclosures as defined in RPAPL section 1304.

In order to search for documents that have been E-Filed, you must first look up the E-Index Number created by the Clerk's Office by logging into our search portal, creating a username and password then searching by Document Type. Highlight EFILING INDEX NUMBER from the list and the right-arrow to add it to your searchable list, enter the date range (Note: the first date of filing was 01/18/2017) into the Filing Date boxes and hit Search. The "Reference 1" numbers listed on the right are the Index Numbers for E-Filed cases. You can then go to the NYSCEF search portal, log in as a Guest and enter those "Reference 1" numbers individually into the Case Number box. Alternatively, you may search by the names of the plaintiff or defendant by clicking on the Name Tab and entering the information found on the Clerk's site into the text boxes.

Filing Fees

Effective February 10, 2011:

In accordance with Local Law #1 of 2011, the fee for a recording page will increase to $20 and the per page recording fee will increase to $5. See new calculated fees below.

Mortgages

Mortgage instruments must include all mortgagors and mortgagees, the new tax number, address, legal description of the property and the type of dwelling.

The base fee to record a mortgage is $45, which includes the recording page.

Each page is $5. (Therefore, it will cost $50 to record a one page mortgage.)

Applicable Mortgage Tax is also due at time of recording.

Mortgage Tax Collection

Single or two family dwelling (only one structure)

Mortgage of $10,000 or LESS—3/4 of 1%

half (1/2) of 1% paid by MORTGAGOR

one quarter (1/4) of 1% paid by MORTGAGEE

Half (1/2) of 1% goes to the town or the city where the property is located; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the state of New York; 0 will go to the Transportation Authority.

Mortgage OVER $10,000—1% less $25

three quarters (3/4) of 1% paid by MORTGAGOR

one quarter (1/4) of 1% paid by MORTGAGEE

Half (1/2) of 1% goes to the town or the city where the property is located; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the state of New York; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the Transportation Authority.

Multiple structures or three to five family dwelling—1% of Mortgage Amount

three quarters (3/4) of 1% paid by MORTGAGOR

one quarter (1/4) of 1% paid by MORTGAGEE

Half (1/2) of 1% goes to the town or the city where the property is located; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the state of New York; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the Transportation Authority.

Multiple family dwelling (over six), vacant land (not to be improved by one or two family dwelling), commercial—1% of mortgage amount

1% paid by MORTGAGOR

Half (1/2) of 1% goes to the town or the city where the property is located; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the state of New York; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the Transportation Authority.

Vacant land (to be improved by one or two family dwelling)—1% of Mortgage Amount LESS $25

three quarters (3/4) of 1% paid by MORTGAGOR

one quarter (1/4) of 1% paid by MORTGAGEE

Half (1/2) of 1% goes to the town or the city where the property is located; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the state of New York; one quarter (1/4) of 1% goes to the Transportation Authority.

Deeds

Deeds must be dated originals and include the name and address of both the grantor and grantee, return address or attorney’s box number, full legal property description specifying which municipality the property is situated in, the new tax number, property and tax mailing address, signature of grantor, acknowledgement matching signature and name cited on document, and complete notary information. Deed filings must also include a completed TP-584 and RP-5217 (Equalization Form).

The base fee to record a deed is $45, which includes the recording page.

Each page is $5. (Therefore, it will cost $50 to record a one page deed.)

The TP-584 form is $5.

The Equalization Form fee is $125 if one the following boxes is checked: 7A, 7B, 7E or both 7G and box 8 OR if the property classification code in Item 18 is: 100 through 199; or 200 through 299; or 411-C. Otherwise the Equalization Form fee is $250.

Transfer Tax of $4 per thousand.

Important Information - Revised RP-5217

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance has revised the current RP-5217 form. The new form is a down-loadable, bar-coded form. All filers should begin submitting the new PDF version of the RP-5217 form with their deed transaction. The form will need to be created on your computer using the link below in order for the bar code to be generated. It should not be handwritten or typed. Further instructions can be obtained from the State's website link below.

Effective January 1, 2014, the Monroe County Clerk's Office will begin accepting the new RP-5217-PDF form. The current 4-part forms will also be accepted but only until January 31, 2014. Please note that the old 4-part forms will not be accepted after January 31, 2014.

For further information on this new form or to begin using the form please click here:

Index Numbers

Index numbers are assigned to open a file where all later papers are kept and which bear that same number. Index numbers are assigned only to those actions and proceedings issued by the New York Supreme or Monroe County Courts.

The index application must be completed and filed at the Monroe County Clerk’s Office. The fee per number is $210.

Please remember that all instruments filed with the Monroe County Clerk’s Office must bear original signatures.

Civil Actions

A $210 check payable to the County Clerk for assigning an index number, starts a civil action proceeding. Please remember that instruments filed with the County Clerk’s Office must bear original signatures.

A civil action file may include court orders, affidavits, summons, complaints or any document pertaining to that action and bearing the assigned index number. If you do not know the index number assigned to your action, a $5 fee will be charged for every two years searched.

Note: For information on court dates, jury duty, bail bond hearings or small claims, please see the courts listed in the blue pages of your telephone book.

Criminal Proceedings

Individuals may not initiate criminal proceedings directly, therefore, if you wish to initiate a criminal proceeding please consult an attorney, law enforcement agency or the district attorney’s office.

The Monroe County Clerk’s Office is the source for criminal records filed by the New York State Supreme and Monroe County Courts. Only felony convictions are filed in the Monroe County Clerk’s Office. It will be helpful in locating a criminal file if you know the index number and year of filing. Only the parties involved and/or their counsel may have access to any sealed records, otherwise a court order for unsealing is required.

Federal, city and town proceedings are the responsibility of those government bodies and are not filed with this office.

As a part of a collaboration between the Monroe County Clerk and the Monroe County Bureau of Vital Records, residents will be able to obtain certified copies of Birth Certificates at the Greece DMV on the last Saturday of each month between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Vital Records staff will be at the Greece DMV to process these transactions on January 31, February 28, March 28, April 25, May 30, June 27, July 25, August 29, September 26 and October 31.

Clerk Right Now

Foreclosure Auctions Relocated

Effective Thurs., Dec. 1, 2016, all foreclosure auctions will be held at the Hall of Justice's Lower Level Atrium, even those previously advertised as occuring at "39 W. Main St." or "the County Office Building." See Judge Doyle's order for more details.

Next time, skip the line! - DMV Appointments

The County Clerk's office has taken a major step forward in modernizing our Greece, Irondequoit and Henrietta DMV Offices by launching a new, innovative online appointment system. Regardless of the service you need, you’ll be in and out the door in as little time as possible.

All you have to do is visit our website at www.monroedmv.setmore.com and then click the link for an Appointment. You can choose your branch and then see the available dates and times for upcoming appointments. When you choose one, you will receive an email confirmation and a reminder closer to your appointment.

"Renew Monroe" encourages residents to renew their vehicle registrations at local DMV offices. Over $500,000 annually could be kept working here if every vehicle owner in Monroe County participated in the new program. Residents can mail their renewals to the Henrietta DMV Office, use a convenient drop box, or for immediate return of their registration, use an Express Line at any permanent DMV branch.